City commissioners on Tuesday said they’re ready to finalize a deal to take over ownership of the former Farmland Industries fertilizer plant.

Commissioners unanimously directed staff members to prepare the final documents to transfer ownership of the 467-acre site on the eastern edge of Lawrence.

“I think as we move ahead as a bioscience center, the opportunities for this piece of property are endless,” said Commissioner Mike Amyx, who has been a longtime supporter of the city’s plan to convert the property into a business park.

Under the proposed deal, the city will receive $8.5 million from the Farmland bankruptcy trust in exchange for assuming liability to clean up the property.

The property has been damaged by years of nitrogen fertilizer spills, but commissioners expressed confidence the trust fund will be enough to fund the 30-year environmental plan for the property.

Final documents are expected to come to the City Commission for approval by the end of this spring.

This is a terrible use of taxpayer money!!! The riverfront mall was supposed to bring business to lawrence, the tanger outlet mall was also supposed to bring in $$. Neither did and sit mostly empty, or with city offices.

Spilled fertilizer.

does the City Commission not believe and trust KDHE on their 13.3 million dollar cleanup estimate? And once you get in there and start cleaning up you know more area and more contamination will be found only increasing the price to clean up. And then what happens when it finally is cleaned up? City Commissioners will give tax credits and abatements to the company to locate here, in which 95% of the employees will commute in from JOCO and the tax base for Lawrence won't even increase...similar to any number of other projects this City Commission has screwed up. And JayHawkLawrence, just because someone used some guts to do something doesn't make it right or intelligent. It took guts for the 9/11 terrorist to fly into the Towers, but are you proud of their decision?

Times are tough for me. My hours have been cut back some. My taxes have gone up. I am way behind on my mortgage and they just shut off my electricity. The kids need to see the doctors too but I told them "Times are tough. Just deal with the pain a little while longer. Things will look better sometime soon"
I also just bought this really great motorcycle for only $10,000...what a deal...and I have been eyeing this property at the lake that has just came open...it is a steal.
Sorry kids